Analyse the major water project in Toronto?

Project history

Toronto city is located beside a large water body and was founded as being a point of intersections of transportation routes. Its location on Lake Ontario has been instrumental to the city and the country as a whole, the lake has provided an important means of transport for locals.

Toronto town was home to aborigines before the coming of Europeans who used it as the short cut from the lower to upper great lakes. French established a permanent presence in Toronto in the years 1720 and they built a trading post on Humber river located on the south end part of the passage. They built a modern trading post in 1750s, Fort Roulle on Ontario shoreline   east of Humber.

The birth of urban Toronto is traced through construction of Fort York in 1793 by the British to help counter possible threats from the Americans at the time after their revolution.

Much of the trade along the lake was by boat with adjacent factories to the waterfront making good business sense.   The lack of available land along the waterfront however limited the growth of shipping, industrial and railway infrastructure in 1940s.

This prompted a massive campaign of lake filling in 1950s to expand the shore land south to the esplanade and the was extended farther south for hundred years that followed into 1950s when the current shoreline was achieved and this left original shoreline north of today’s rail corridor.

The downtown core of Toronto became undesirable for residential due to industry concentration but major roads were built to enable people to commute as jobs were still in this downtown industrial area. Highways were built around the city, with Gardiner expressway cutting the people off from the lake.

The urban revolution of 1970s led to the rediscovery of waterfronts including Toronto waterfronts to catapult them onto world stage. The newly developed waterfronts attracted more residents, more employers, more jobs and more visitors.

Project chronology

In July 1999, a report dubbed “unlocking Toronto port lands” was released by urban development services which provided an assessment of the challenges and opportunities for the land at the port and stated also reiterated the need to revitalize the area.

Later on in November 1999 prime minister of Canada commissioned the formation of a task force to develop a business plan and make necessary recommendations for developing the new waterfront in a bid to host 2008 summer Olympics. The same day Mayor Lastman released the vision document, our Toronto waterfront.

August 28, 2000, city council approved the staff report Our Toronto Waterfront containing the city’s preliminary analysis of the task force report and advises the implementation strategy for the town revitalization.

The same year in October, city council places an interim control by laws on key lands to protect them for future use. Prime minister and the mayor stressed their commitment to kick start the $ 5 billion waterfront project.

February 2001 federal government and city council releases a $ 1.5 billion for in technical studies this being part of their commitment to the project.  In march same year transport and finance minister pledge approximately 300 billion dollars for priority public projects.

Four priority waterfront projects were announced in the year 2001 which are: extending front street from Bathurst to Dufferin street, conducting phase one environmental clean up of the port lands, expanding passenger corridors at union station and finally undertaking environmental assessment for the restoration of the mouth of the Don River.

Approval of the governance structure by the city council of Toronto paved the formation of Toronto waterfront Revitalization Corporation in May 2001. This corporation was formed to steer the waterfront renewal initiative of behalf of three level of government

The vision was set out as the wave of the future which was bold and ambitious for the project, with task force and momentum reports indicating that vision could work and the three level of government demonstrating their willingness to make it work.

Waterfront neighborhoods of Harbourfront and Bathurst/Strachan were well developed yet the vast land located strategically in the Toronto’s central waterfront which is Canada’s economic and social engine remained vacant and underused.

The opportunity to reengineer the renewal and position Toronto for urban completion was found in this idle adjacent land, of which nearly 70% was in public hands of Toronto Port Lands Company, City of Toronto, Province of Ontario, Toronto Port Authority, Federal Government and Waterfront Toronto.

The proposed part 2 plan for central waterfront was discussed by the public and approved by the city council and will form the basis for guiding change in central waterfront. The city will work with Toronto Waterfront Corporation, stakeholders and the public to formulate policies for the project.

The four core principles around which plan is organized will ensure that development over the years does not deviate from the original vision of the project. For every principle the plan sets out big moves that will signal deliberate change in direction and sets out policy framework within which big moves will happen.

 

Major actors of the project

The three level of government are major actors in this project which are central government, federal government and city council of Toronto.

City Council government was tasked with approval of the project. They also fund project work since they stand to benefit from the work on completion. The city council was also tasked to work with waterfront Toronto to accelerate timelines and develop business plans for the port lands.

It was the coordinating body for all agencies and stakeholders representing city’s interests like sresidents and land owners, (Staff report, and 2011).

Government of Canada has a big stake as it provides majority funding for the project.  The prime minister sett the ground by commissioning the formation of a task force to develop the business plan for the development of waterfront.

The general public being the people who stand to benefit and or suffer from the project are major players. They are to be consulted to make their contributions.

Project development raises big environmental concerns for the environmental activists. Their constant input is necessary to help reduce environmental risks associated with the setting up of this project.

To developing  the best waterfront has a number of environmental challenges in port lands such as environmental contamination, the risk of flooding, water and wastewater infrastructure development, and lack of utilities hence the need to incorporate environmental models  and tools to address these challenges in the heart of downtown of Toronto, (Lindsey,2004).

 

Reasons for the project

Olympics: Prime minister of Canada commissioned the formation of a task force in 1999 to develop a business plan and make necessary recommendations for developing the waterfront in a bid to host 2008 summer Olympics.

Economic development: The task force chaired by Robert Fung reported that revitalization of waterfront was necessary and its almost unprecedented development opportunity that will have a huge positive impact on the city of Toronto, the region and the country as a whole in matters of economic development.

The report also noted that the revitalization project would also have a positive impact to the environment, transportation, infrastructure, housing and tourism of the area and the country.

Expected benefits of the project

Realization of civic aspirations: The waterfront will be a focal point for realizing many of the town’s civic aspirations. It will create new economic growth and opportunities in the town and jobs,  bring about a diverse and dynamic communities of people in the town will result in prominent cultural institutions, clean and interesting public places to have fun and  bring new memories.

Open up the city: The project is expected to open Toronto and make the city competitive among world cities. This being Canada’s largest city and acts as the gateways to the nation, tourism and culture.

Attract investment and tourists: In the current world, nations are competing for investment opportunities and tourists. The renewed waterfront project will help improve the image of the town hence attracting foreign investment and tourism.

Improve image of Toronto: It will raise the reputation of the city portraying the city as the livable city in the world. It will raise the bar of the city and set quality standard. Improved social amenities, infrastructure and cultural institutions are vital components being developed by the project which will greatly improve its image.

 Employment: the project will create employment opportunities to the locals. Increased hotels to cater for tourists, public amenities and the project work itself will be a form of employment.

Country image: This being the capital city, the Ontario waterfront project is meant to strengthen the country image internationally. The waterfront plays a unique role to the country and the Ontario province. Toronto waterfront offer a striking location showcasing the cultural image of the country

Strong link: Yonge Street, which is currently one of the longest streets in Canada, originates from the waterfront and this symbolic and functional links between the country and the city is something to celebrate as a source of pride for the nation.

Tourism attraction centre to the country and the city by vibrancy in the neighborhoods. Notable cultural and educational institutions, health facilities, strong financial institutions which are all centrally located with excellent transportation infrastructure are source of tourism attraction to the city and the country.

Economic benefits: The facilities provided alongside the project inspire renewal efforts and provide economic spinoff and enrichment to the whole population of Canada. A successful Toronto means a successful Canada as a whole.

Leading other cities: investing in waterfront project makes the city of Toronto to lead by example in the country. Concentrating in core areas of the city rather than consuming precious agricultural lands in outer suburbs. Efficient use of urban will serve as a smart growth model the nation to benefit both current and future generation,  (Cox, 2002).

City/ nature relationship

The waterfront project was conducted in an environmental friendly manner incorporating environmentalist so that the beauty of nature associated is not lost during project implementation.

The study by Short, et al (2008) clearly demonstrates that environmental factors including nature are necessary considerations to understand any city.

Power in the waterfront project

The power of this project is vested in the hands of waterfront Revitalization Corporation of Toronto. They are mandated with project plans, project monitoring and implementation. They collect stakeholders’ views which they harmonize in regard to the original vision.

They coordinate with all stakeholders including the three levels of government, that is central, federal and city council. Other stakeholders they work with are the public, private land owners, environmentalist and investors.

Greater sustainability and better environment:   this project will be sustainable in the long run and will lead to a better environment. Waterfront Toronto conducted pilot project in port lands and incorporated environmentalists hence if the plan is well adopted will result in better environment.

E environmental assessment was taken which included flood protection, soil remediation and infrastructure improvement as the recommendations by city staff report which if implemented well will ensure better environmental sustainability, (Staff report, 2011):

Accordingly, urban sustainabity assessment is necessary for development and sustainability of any urban city. Assessment tools have been developed to assess urban progress build on environmental scale, (Dakhia et al, 2009) and were used in this project to ensure future sustainability.

Proceeds from the projects was to be reinvested back to ensure sustainability of the city in long, (Alberti, et al, 1996). There were concerns on how these proceeds will be used and public views prevailed which advocated for the reinvestment of the proceeds back.

Critical views expressed.

The roles and responsibilities of all actors in the project was a major concern for many. They were concerned with roles of various levels of governments, private land owners who are affected by the project and were concerned about the impact of politics on the project.

There concerns arising from the use of proceeds of the project with public view that proceeds be reinvested back in the project for sustainability. They were fear of withdrawing proceeds generated by developing the port land to other areas.

Transparent process: they were voices advocating for the process to be transparent to enable the community participate in decision making process at all level with adequate representation in order to fully support the project outcome.

An assurance was needed for the public contributions through consultations to be honored by the process, (Port Lands Acceleration Initiative, 2012).

Status of all plans:  there were concerns about the status of existing plans which many thought they need to be updated on regular basis to avoid suspicion. This will help in incorporating them into new plans of the Toronto waterfront project, (Port Lands Acceleration Initiative, 2011).

Conclusions

The Toronto waterfront project is environmental friend and is sustainable in the long run if the plan set out originally is adhered to the later. Many people of the city and the country at large stand to benefit a lot from the project if it is well implemented.

The commitment by the stakeholders has been a major boost the running of the project. The project is environmental friendly and will position the city on the global map if successfully complemented.

The benefits of this projects on completion includes employment opportunities, increased tourists activities hence economic growth for the nation, improve image of the town and the city among other benefits.

However there are areas of concern to the project which are the transparency of the process, political interferences, use of the proceeds from the project, status of the running project plans  just to mention but a few.

The project is good and will greatly improve the area and the country and will substancial benefits to local people if its well carried out.

 References

Lindsey Thomas Martin (2004): Myths about Urban Growth and the Toronto Greenbelt; Fraser Institute Digital Publications. Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Port Lands Acceleration Initiative (2011): Public Meeting Report

December 12, 2011 Public Meeting, Toronto Reference Library, 6:30 – 9:00 pm

Staff report (2011): Toronto Port Lands Company – Revitalization

Opportunities for the Port Lands – Supplementary Report. Staff report for action on Port Land and TPLC. Source: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-40318.pdf

Port Lands Acceleration Initiative (2012): Landowner and user advisory committee meeting 1

8:30-10:30am, Wednesday February 15th, 2012; 20 Bay Street, the Rostie Group – Rainy Lake Room.

Dakhia K and   Berezowska-Azzag E. (2009) Urban institutional and ecological footprint; A new urban metabolism assessment tool for planning sustainable urban ecosystems

Research Laboratory, National High School of Architecture (ENSA), Algiers, Algeria.

Cox Wendell (2002). Smart Growth and Housing Affordability. Washington, DC: Paper

Commissioned by the Congressional Millennial Housing Commission, 2002.

<www.demographia.com/coxsg.pdf>.

Alberti, M. and Susskind, L. (1996), “Managing urban sustainability: an introduction to the Special issue”, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Vol. 16, pp. 213-21.

Short B, Lisa, and Short J. R.(2008): Cities and Nature;  Critical Introductions to Urbanism and the City. Edited by M. Miles and J. R. Short,

Oxon: Routledge, 2008. 304 pages.

 

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